


Apocalypse: X-men

by Steavatron



Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 09:16:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14766804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steavatron/pseuds/Steavatron
Summary: When En Sabar Nur awakens after hundreds of years of sleep, he's surprised to find that the ritual didn't progress the way it was supposed to. He brushes that off, deciding to 'get right back on the horse' but the lingering taste of betrayal makes him hesitant to trust so easily. -~- Basically Apocalypse reacts more true to (what I think is) his character upon waking at the start of X-men: Apocalypse. Major canon divergence.





	Apocalypse: X-men

**Author's Note:**

> I just had what I feel is a pretty good idea for the name of this fic. Since X-Men: Apocalypse was written from the X-Men’s perspective, I’ve just decided to call it: Apocalypse: X-Men. That just changes the perspective we’re viewing the story from. As we are now seeing it from Apocalypse’s perspective, he now behaves as a true character. He has real emotions, real motivations and real aims, just like the X-Men always have in their movies.
> 
>  
> 
> This details how I believe the story would be affected by such a change. 

 

* * *

  
  
  


A cold body lay still in the darkness, as it had for centuries. It was entombed in the ruins of a once great temple, now forgotten far beneath the surface of the Egyptian desert. The air in the cave was dry and cool, only freed of the smell of rotting corpses by the hundreds of years that’d passed. There were no other bodies in the tomb, time having whittled their very bones to dust. 

 

Apocalypse opened his eyes, a gasp filling his lungs with air and dust. He flexed his fingers experimentally, feeling his long cooled blood slowly starting to fill them once more.

 

He felt all his limbs awaken, his arms and legs regaining their warmth, minute by agonising minute. He couldn't feel the chill that had to be in the air this far underground, but he  _ knew _ it was cold. His ability to manifest and control tears in the very fabric of space meant that he was always acutely aware of where he was. Right now, what he wasn’t quite sure about was  _ why  _ he was here. He didn’t remember having any plans to be in the foundations of any of the Pyramids, and he was quite certain that Fukanya would’ve at least woken him up and allowed him to travel under his own power. She knows just how much he detests being uninformed. If his senses didn’t deceive him, he was quite sure that he’d been here before. This felt eerily like the structure he had been conducting the transfer in, and it was weeks away from the next inspection.

 

Shrugging off that useless thought, since it wasn’t him who did the inspections anyway, he decided to get his bearings first. Reaching within himself, he felt for the familiar well of power inside. He could feel all the power he'd accumulated over the course of his existence. It felt as it always did after a transfer, a little numb, but useable. He searched for the new addition that should've come from the transfer. 

 

Strangely, it took some doing, but he could sense a faint glimmer of the foreign power hovering around his soul. He couldn't take hold of it though, which was strange, but he decided to concentrate first on the fact that all the rest of his powers were so dulled. 

 

It was always a task to get his skills back up to levels befitting a god after a transfer, but it had never been this difficult. His strength felt like it'd been dormant for centuries instead of the mere few hours that he should’ve been asleep. Taking a hold of them, he found that he could use them if he was forced to, but it wouldn’t be easy. 

 

Opening his eyes, he immediately knew something was wrong. It was dark and he was surrounded on all sides by what seemed to be solid rock, if his senses were not deceiving him. He could feel that the rock he was laying on wasn’t the smooth, refined stone that had been specifically prepared for the ritual. He felt that he had some breathing room by his sides, but not nearly as much as the open ritual table would’ve allowed. His power could let him ‘feel’ the solidness of the rocks that were all around him, barring him from teleporting into them. Well, it would be a barrier if he were incapable of reshaping the very structure of the rocks to his will, but that was not important right now. What was important was the fact that he wasn’t meant to be here.

 

After the transfer was complete, Fukanya would clear out the chamber, remove his armour from his old vessel and stand guard until it was time for him to be woken. The fact that it hadn’t seemed to go according to her meticulously planned schedule meant that something must’ve gone wrong. 

 

The blue skinned man let out a slow breath at that thought. It wasn’t something he’d even contemplated before, something going wrong. He’d done the transfer so many times that it had become routine. Mundane. Boring almost. He almost shook his head when he realised he was starting to get side tracked. He needed to focus on the most important thing right now.

 

Something was wrong. Something was definitely very, very wrong. Everything had been set up as usual for him to change vessels. 

 

Nothing was unique or different about the pyramid they'd used or the slaves surrounding them, only the children he'd allowed into it with him had changed.

 

His eyes widened a fraction, realisation dawning on him. It was them. It was his children. One of them had done something, had betrayed him.

 

No. 

 

More than one. It had been an uprising, a mutiny of the highest order. He didn't quite know what to think about that. Knowing that the very people he took every breath for had been the ones to put a knife into his back wasn’t a pleasant thought. He was at least sure that there was one who had been faithful to him until the end. His most loyal horseman. 

 

Death.

 

Fukanya.

 

If she had decided to turn against him when he was in the middle of a transfer, there would've been no chance of his survival. Just like there would be no chance of only one of the others doing this on their own. No one horseman was strong enough to take on them all, let alone facing Fukanya. She was the strongest of them all, her power being second only to his own. She far outstripped the rest of them by many orders of magnitude. 

 

He found himself strangely...pleased by this train of thought. Sure, it was most detestable that he’d been surrounded by traitors without even knowing it, but he found that it didn’t matter as much to him as the the confirmation of her faith. She had been the most devoted, the most fanatical, even before she’d become one of his horsemen. She was passionate like no other, training her strength like a woman possessed. 

 

She was loyal beyond any fault, intolerant of even the slightest hesitation. 

 

She was obedient, hanging on his every word and taking each of them as scripture.

 

She was reliable, dependable. Unwilling to let even the most outrageous of obstacles bar her from doing his bidding.

 

She was-

 

She was dead.

 

That wasn’t a pleasant thought, but it was true. She had to be. The world felt much different from the way he last remembered it. The amount of life he could sense was far greater, an impossible increase in number within as many years as she could’ve lived. No matter how long lived she could have been.

 

That thought tried to dredge up his long dead emotions. He ignored it. It was of no consequence. He had lived long before her and had always known he’d continue on long after her death. It was not his place to become...attached...to his children. Only to guide and empower them. To help them take their rightful places as rulers of this world. 

 

A frown threatened to grow on his face at that thought. Clearly, they had not felt the same. They’d felt that they could make a better place for themselves without him. Well….That was...He’d have to see it for himself. Enough time had passed that any people he’d known would be long dead, and their plans having since come to fruition. There was very little chance of them failing. There were only a select few who could stand against the will of his children. With his course of action decided, the pale blue skinned man called on the familiar well of power within himself. A ripple of purple light illuminated the walls of the cavern. When it died down, Apocalypse was gone.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


The blue skinned man stood shakily atop one of the strange structures on the surface. He could tell it was a shelter of some kind, but it didn’t seem practical at all. In fact, he felt that if he hadn’t been holding up most of his weight with his power, he would’ve fallen straight through the top of it. The thin sheets of...material that was haphazardly ‘protecting’ the occupants didn’t seem sturdy at all. 

 

His muscles still hadn’t fully awoken from their slumber and he had taken to levitating himself about. As the sun beat down on him from above, he almost smiled in thanks at the fact that Fukanya had put his armour on him. He didn't know exactly what had happened in that cave, but he was quite certain that preserving his dignity wasn't very high on anyone else’s priorities.

 

Shaking his head imperceptibly, he looked out to the horizon. He couldn't afford to keep thinking about her. Concentrating on all the life he could feel, he was a little confused by what he was sensing. The people around him...they had no power to speak of.

 

He couldn't sense the presence of any of his children nearby. He attributed that to the massive increase in life since he was last awake. His powers weren’t anywhere near good enough to distinguish individuals from afar with this massive mixture of people. He was going to have to train them back up to be sensitive enough to be any good in this new world. 

 

He had to be honest, he wasn't particularly looking forward to it. He'd spent decades before honing his knowledge, control and mastery of his powers and those of his horsemen, and right now it just seemed like such a tedious task to put in all those hours again. 

 

He had no reason to.

 

Well, not yet, at least. He still had to see what his children had ended up making of this world. How they had decided to use their power over those weaklings without. 

 

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a scuffle. Turning his head, a remarkable presence flickered on the edge of his senses. He wasted no time in making his way there, floating harmlessly over the heads of the clueless Egyptians. A short while later, he'd watched a young girl steal from a worthless merchant for what looked to be one of her friends. 

 

What he didn't understand was why she had to do it. Wasn't she revered as a goddess for her power? Had she done something to be cast into the ranks of the powerless? Was she one of those god-awful 'pacifists' that had started popping up in every city? He narrowed his eyes. He could've sworn that he'd wiped them all out. They had no place in the world. If they were so fine with leaving the world as it was, then they should all just fall back, preferably onto a sword, and let those who are actually worthy of their abilities shape the world. 

 

He let out a breath when he realised he'd gotten side tracked. Again. Well, at least he hadn't been thinking about… Looking around the now crowded street, he couldn't see the girl anymore. She had apparently made her escape while he'd been…otherwise occupied. Well, that didn't matter too much. Now that he had felt her presence, he could track her down. He couldn't really forget it, after all.

 

Following the chaotic, almost turbulent feel of her spirit led him to a small space between some taller structures. These were far more substantial, looking like things one could actually seek shelter within, but that was of no consequence right now. The girl was standing with her back to one of the walls while two men advanced toward her. From the looks on their faces, he could tell that they had nothing good in mind for her, even if he wasn't able to understand their words. 

 

What had him even more perplexed was the fact that the girl didn't seem to understand it. Her gaze was indeed intelligent, leaving no doubts in his mind that she was well aware of what they were planning, but her actions didn't seem to convey that. She stood there, not turning them to ash for their insolent thoughts, let alone even trying to go through with it. She just stood there. He couldn’t even feel any power coming off the two of them.

 

Having had enough of the guessing game, he made his way to the ground, idly hoping that the girl was willing to answer the myriad of questions he had.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


A few minutes later, dark eyes rolled back to normality as Apocalypse ended the technique. His hand came down from being outstretched over the ‘television’, returning uselessly to his side. 

 

So  _ this  _ was what they had betrayed him for.

 

This world...where the strong cower in fear of the, so called, ‘systems’ they  _ allowed  _ the weak to put in place. This was the world that he’d been betrayed for, the world ‘his children‘ had envisioned and created for themselves, the world they had- He cut his thoughts off there. There was no use in wasting his time with circling thoughts.

 

He turned to the girl, idly noting the way she tensed at the movement. It was subtle, a tightening of the muscles under the skin that was imperceptible to all but the most keen eyes, but he had seen it. She obviously didn’t trust him, ready to act at the slightest provocation. He could respect that. The way she watched his every move, cautious of every word that he said, it was commendable to be so alert in this seemingly lackadaisical world. 

 

He figured that growing up as she must have would mean that she’d have to be, but that didn’t make it any less commendable. Another thing he could see in her eyes was hope. Hope that he’d be able to help her find a way out of her situation. That was good. Hope was a good quality. It wasn’t too difficult to turn that to belief, and finally, faith. That was something Fukanya had been excellent at. Having sped through the process herself, she didn’t need very long to guide people through the stages. 

 

Thinking of her threatened to make his expression dip slightly. His last avatar of death had always been…

 

He closed his eyes and slowly released a breath, centering himself. He needed to stop getting distracted. He needed to focus on what was happening now, at this very moment. He needed to…

 

He needed to…

 

He…

 

…

 

…

 

He didn’t know. 

 

He didn’t know what it was he needed to do now. For as long as he could remember, he’d always had clear goals. Kingdoms to topple, monuments to build, insolents to dispose of, all in the pursuit of righting the natural order. He’d spent all his lifetimes before working to make the world as it should have been. 

 

A place where the powerful are revered and worshipped for their power. A place where the strong rule over the weak and lead the people into a golden age. A place where everyone, the weak, the strong, the men, the women, the dark, the fair,  _ everyone _ would stand united under one ruler, under one god, as he led them through the ages.

 

Yes.

 

That was it. His dark eyes glittered as he stood taller, raising himself up to his full height. That was the way the world had to be. Gods were there to be worshipped, after all. The weak and even the ‘powerful’ were the perfect ones to do it. They would all kneel before their god. 

 

And what better god than he? 

 

En Sabar Nur.

 

‘Apocalypse’, as he was now aware. 

 

Yes, indeed. That sounded like just the right place to pick up. He’d been betrayed before and the world had been torn from his grasp. Now, he would shape the world as he saw fit and none would stand in his way.

 

He met the girl’s eyes, seeing the questioning expression on her face. He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her about what he’d decided and offer her a place at his side, but he found himself lacking the words. Or more accurately, the conviction behind them.

 

He’d just met her.

 

Of course, he could feel that the power she hid within her would be truly impressive if he unlocked it for her, if she stopped holding herself back. But…

 

That’s exactly what he’d done for his ‘children’. He’d given them everything and they’d...refused it. He couldn’t let that happen again. He had to be certain that the people he surrounded himself with were true to his path. He couldn’t unknowingly place his own enemies around himself. And unblock their power as well. That had already proven to be...troublesome.

 

He had to find many more … mutants. Honestly he didn’t like the word. ‘Mutants’. It had come up quite a few times on the ‘television’ and made it sound as if those with power were ‘defective’ somehow. That was the first thing he’d have to change in his new world. If anything, those who are special should be placed above the weak, a new ‘species’ superior to mere ‘homo-sapiens’. 

 

‘...’

 

Well, he could always come up with a name later. Or have one of them do that for him. That was what they were there for, wasn’t it? Well, partially at least. He just couldn’t stand to have them called ‘Meta-humans’ or ‘Mutants’. Those asinine titles made it sound as if something was  _ wrong  _ with them. 

 

‘Super-humans’ was only marginally better, if somewhat uninspired. 

 

‘Gifted’ was downright insulting. He understood that it was chosen since it didn’t make them sound as alien as the other terms, but that in itself was disgusting. The way this ‘Xavier’ was pandering to the egos of the powerless sheep that rule this world sickened the blue skinned man to no end. Belittling the strength of those with power just to keep those without mollified was utterly unthinkable to the ancient being.

 

He frowned at the string of thoughts. This world just seemed to keep getting more and more disappointing the longer he thought about it. If only there was someplace where the strong gathered so he could get started on righting the natural order. Then he could have his pick of all that were present, making sure not only that their gifts are suitable for his ambition, but that they share his goals and their loyalty would not have to be questioned. 

 

Wait…

 

The school for the ‘gifted’. 

 

That was the perfect place to start. He nodded to himself slightly as he returned to awareness, seeing some tension returning to the girl’s relaxed posture. The hope returned to her eyes, distrust floating beside it. Should he take her with him on his quest to ‘New York’? Could he trust her?

 

Well, she had hope. She believed, and rightfully so, that he could and would bring her up from the situation she was in. But she didn’t trust him. She’d kept enough distance between them that if he tried anything she’d have ample time to dodge and then flee if need be. Her eyes were locked on him, watching intently for the slightest twitch. That was good. She was alert even in the presence of potential allies. She would make a fine horsemen if it wasn’t for one thing. Her compassion. The way she’d helped that friend of hers steal from that merchant meant that she cared for the lives of the weak. As soon as she felt he was going ‘too far’ she’d turn against him. Her compassion for the weak would make her entirely incapable of seeing them as beneath her. 

 

In actuality, she would not make a good horseman. 

 

Despite the fact that he was somewhat disappointed by his findings, he felt that it was still better he knew now. And anyway, she’d make a good enough companion, for the time being at least.

 

He turned to the side, focusing his eyes on an empty space in the large room. She followed his movement but didn’t let her guard down, her eyes darting to him suspiciously. He reached within himself and took hold of his power, willing a gateway into existence in the space they were focused on. 

 

The familiar purple tear swirled into being. It had taken slightly longer than he was used to but it was every bit as powerful as he remembered. Turning back to the wide eyed girl, he spoke. “I will be making my way to ‘New York’, to ‘Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters’.” He said, the name still leaving an unpleasant taste in his mouth. “What I offer you is the chance to be someone with some semblance of significance once I remake this world.”

 

She didn’t look convinced, standing across from him with a single eyebrow raised. “Only ‘some semblance of significance’?” She started, tone slightly cautious. “You’re not going to offer me untold riches beyond my wildest dreams or a position of unrivalled power in this new world of yours?” She intoned, though it wasn’t quite a question. The challenge in her eyes told him she had some doubts about his power.

 

It was just like a child to question what she did not understand. He reached a single dark blue hand to her, watching as she pulled away, eyeing him warily. He stilled with his arm still outstretched, “You question my power.” He inclined his head slightly to his outstretched arm in a mannerism he’d learned from the ‘television’. “Let me show you.”

 

She hesitantly moved back into his range, resting her forehead against his palm. In an instant, she felt herself gain an awareness she’d never felt before. She could feel every fibre of her muscles buzzing with life. She was acutely aware of her every cell bursting with energy. Her breaths deepened and her senses sharpened. She felt the world coming into laser sharp focus, smells becoming more defined. 

 

She could hear the thrum of her heart as it beat in her chest, and the rhythmic pulsing of her blood within her veins was no longer hidden from her ears. She could feel the subtle differences in temperature on her skin, from her face to either of her hands. She could count each strand of fabric pressed against her thighs, her senses attuned enough to differentiate them all.

 

Once her body had been awakened, she felt her mind start to gain the same enhancement. Memories she’d long forgotten were once again hers to access with unparalleled clarity. She felt her thoughts accelerate, her brain feeling like it just had all the weight resting on it removed. She was no longer overwhelmed by her body’s improved senses, now able to focus on exactly what it was she wanted to feel whilst still being passively aware of everything. The girl felt herself gain the ability to think about multiple different things at the same time, having a degree of control of her mind that she hadn’t known was possible. 

 

She felt something new changing within her and focused on it. It felt like it was happening in the familiar place she drew her power from. Now that her mind had been expanded, she could actually perceive what he was doing. She felt him reach into her being and take hold of her soul, the action taking place in a dimensionless plane between her body and her mind.

 

With each passing second she started to become more and more aware of the plane in-between. It seemed...there weren’t any words that could accurately describe it. ‘Dark’ would imply that it had colour. ‘Empty’ didn’t work at all. The space she could feel around her wasn’t empty...but she couldn’t really call it occupied either. It felt...endless and without definition. So immensely vast her senses couldn’t make out anything beyond it. It was...all encompassing, yet formless.

 

Mentally, she settled on that definition. It was the most accurate, but words cannot convey the spirit. It somehow ebbed and immovably encompassed her all at once, its paradoxicality defining its existence. She felt it surrounding her, ‘moving’ as it remained entirely motionless around her. 

 

It drew on her soul, pulling on the spark of her inner being. She felt it aiding the blue skinned man’s efforts, the feel of his…essence?…working in tandem with…

 

…Wait…

 

…That…it wasn’t space.

 

It wasn’t emptiness. 

 

It was  _ him.  _

 

She felt her eyes widen in fear at the thought that the being stood in front of her was as all encompassing as he was, and she could feel his slight satisfaction at the realisation, but she could also feel that she didn’t mean much to him.

 

Couldn’t mean much to him. 

 

‘Seeing’ his spirit, what little of it she could comprehend, she could see there was only one thing that actually mattered to him. A single speck deep in the core of the kaleidoscope of colour that was this man. 

 

Before she could focus on it, she felt herself thrown violently back into her own body. She felt her lungs gasping for the ubiquitous oxygen, each breath coming deeper than she’d ever imagined. 

 

She felt the world sharpen into focus around her, colours once more regaining meaning. She saw the blue skinned…being…standing before her, waiting for her to gather herself for the journey. For he could be no mere ‘man’. This…thing before her was probably as close to godhood as they could ever find in this universe.

 

Even now, with her awakened senses, she could ‘feel’ him standing in front of her, his power shining like a beacon in the truly empty space that was Cairo. She could make out other presences with her new consciousness, like stars twinkling in the infinite darkness. There were a few that shone brighter than others, a few that flickered briefly and spluttered out of existence…

 

And then there was  _ him. _

 

She couldn’t quite tell where  _ he  _ ended and the ‘darkness’ began. He was like a self contained galaxy on his own, with stars and planets and light and…darkness.

 

So much darkness.

 

She couldn’t understand him, couldn’t comprehend how such a  _ thing  _ could even be, but she knew that following him was not a choice for her to make. There was nothing she could imagine that could possibly compare to this being, nothing that could even delude itself into hoping to match him, nothing that could keep him from his ambition.

 

She nodded her head obediently and fell into step behind him as he wordlessly turned away from her, advancing to the portal.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Apocalypse opened his dark eyes as he swept his gaze over the property. It was fairly sizeable, nothing to scoff at for certain, but compared to everything he’d owned it was barely a sandpit. 

 

He stepped out of the purple rend, not waiting for the girl to amble after him. He could feel her presence as she kept pace slightly behind him on his right side. The girl was clearly hoping to position herself as his most valued ally.

 

It was…amusing.

 

Absently he wondered if she would’ve revered him the same if he’d offered her that at the very beginning. 

 

Squashing that insignificant thought, he reached the gate barring him from his potential horsemen. He found his gait slowing until he reached it and he could feel his heckles rising. 

 

The gate was a mere construction of metals, nothing that could even hope to truly separate him from his conquest. He could easily reduce it to so much ash. The action wouldn’t take much more than a thought, but…

 

He hesitated. 

 

If he destroyed the gate they’d immediately confront him as an enemy. Anyone who actually had the potential to be a valuable ally would be unquestioningly against him and it would be doubly difficult to sift through them while their animosity muddled his senses. 

 

He was  _ not _ going to wait here, though. 

 

Ringing the ‘intercom’ and waiting until they  _ allowed _ him entry onto the property simply wasn’t going to happen. It was far beneath him to even have to consider how his actions might offend their sensibilities, and indulging their petty social customs wasn’t even considered. 

 

He turned slightly to his companion, reaching out his hand and gesturing for her to stand by his side. 

 

Wordlessly, she obeyed, coming abreast with him before the barrier and not reacting as his hand found its place on the small of her back. 

 

He advanced once more towards the gate and discretely watched her out of the corner of his eye. Usually he wouldn’t have concerned himself with her reaction, but that had been the behaviour that had allowed the betrayal to happen in the first place. His eye remained on her as they drew ever closer, their pace not slowing before the metal. 

 

She didn’t hesitate, each step as sure footed as his own. Her eyes were focused ahead of them, peering between the bars at whatever lay beyond. She didn’t tense as their chests were a hair’s breadth away from the gate, her body utterly dedicated to his silent command. 

 

They phased through it without issue. 

 

Her breathing didn’t change, and there wasn’t any relief visible on her face, but he could feel her heart thrumming in her chest, her hot blood pulsing beneath his fingertips.

 

He turned his eye away from her, focusing on what was to come. Maybe she would actually make a good horseman.

 

They would simply have to see when they arrived at the manor.

 

She didn’t protest as his hand remained on her skin, allowing him to lead her to their destination. Idly he found his thoughts wandering to how far she’d be willing to go to prove her fealty to him. Would she give up her body just as completely as she had given up her life for his cause? 

 

Once again he found his thoughts idly wondering if he should test that theory. 

 

Her form was nothing to scoff at, once he’d purified her, of course. Her dark skin was without flaw, her flesh supple, but with the unmistakeable firmness of a warrior. Her limbs were slender, flexible…deadly. Her face was softer than most with full lips and large eyes, but the slight sharpness to her cheekbones and jawline was not unlike the steely edge he’d seen to her earlier. The swell of her bosom, subtle but unmistakeable. The widening of her hips around her womanhood, alluring, but not vulgar.

 

No, her form was entirely without flaw.

 

Just as he’d designed it.

 

Redesigned it.

 

Perfected it.

 

He’d reshaped her to his liking just as he’d done countless others before.

 

That didn’t mean he lusted after her, though. No, he wasn’t like the simple minded children that didn’t have much more than superficial control of their own bodies. 

 

He wasn’t afflicted by such ‘needs’ as hunger, fear, the need for release, the need to dispose of waste. 

 

He was entirely separate from all of it, reliant wholly on himself.

 

Reliant  _ only  _ on himself.

 

On his own power. 

 

He abandoned that thought and refocused himself on the matter at hand as they approached the buildings. They walked through a small, grassy field, neatly kept and expansive. He could see children dotted about the premises, most of them sitting in small groups as they basked in the sun or hid from it in the shade. There were very few who were completely alone, the majority of those sitting on their own seemed to be engaged with various forms of literature.

 

More than merely seeing them, he could sense them. Each one of them held a fragment, a portion of the divine spark they’d all found themselves blessed with. Each one had its own unique quality to it, subtly different from the others in ways he’d spent generations learning to perceive.

 

With so many of them around he couldn’t clearly make out each and every one of them, but focusing his keen senses took care of that issue. He could catalogue each one of them and by the time he was done his senses would be  _ that  _ much more attuned to this new world and its immense population. 

 

Focusing by the water, he could sense a single soul where he could ‘see’ a girl. Obviously, no one else could see her, what with the darkness of the water she was swimming under, but he had no such restrictions. Her soul was slightly more different than the others, in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. On the surface, there was not too much different about her, perhaps a mite more fluidity to an otherwise unremarkable spirit.

 

Under that, though, he could feel a myriad of sensations. A familiar slickness, frictionless as it rubbed against the human exterior. A subtle hardness, more than thin enough to be easily overlooked, but hard as bone. A slightly misplaced firmness, a familiar marker of tightly knit flesh where there ‘should’ be a separation. An unbroken pattern of interlocking…bones, woven over each other where there would otherwise be skin. A splaying of…a substance, too thick to be hair but too thin to be bone, fanned out in a familiar spread.

 

Peering further into the water he wasn’t surprised when he made out her speeding form. 

 

A ‘mermaid’, they would call her now. A woman of the sea. Fitting though the translation was, he just felt that the ‘English’ language had a frustrating way of stripping all power from a word, reducing it to a simplistic meaning. 

 

Like the boy he could feel walking out of the main building.

 

Once again, he seemed to have a normal soul, but in this case it was the opposite of her own. His human side was within, hidden behind a simple cocktail of sensations. An almost silky softness at the very edge, much more so than human hair. Most likely a fur of some kind. A dense, interwoven hardness beneath that that spoke of inhuman strength. Beastly muscles, undoubtedly. A…surprisingly complex network of synapses, faster and larger, more dense than that of a base level human. A brain as beastly as the body, it seemed. 

 

Curious.

 

The boy himself was swiftly descending the steps, his slim, clearly human form somehow imposing itself over the beast that should be on the surface.

 

Very curious indeed. 

 

He slowed until he stilled, his companion doing likewise by his side, his hand not leaving its place on her lower back. 

 

Her eyes were discretely cataloguing all she could see, taking in the multitudes of ‘mutants’ gathered around. Clearly, places such as this, where the powerful not only gathered together, but freely displayed their power, were few and far between. Not that he hadn’t already known as much from his session with the television. 

 

The boy approached them, a welcoming smile on his face, but a hesitance in his steps that was plain to see. “Welcome to Xavier’s school for Gifted Youngsters.” He spoke, his words practiced and his tone impeccable. He stood before them, seeming to flounder for a second at the lack of response. “I’m Hank.”

 

His hand jutted out, a mite slower than it probably would have had this been a normal situation. Apocalypse studied him for a few moments wondering why the man wasn’t as his soul said he should be. He breathed deeply, enhanced senses taking in the smells around him. 

 

His sensitive nose picked up the scents of the trees, some instantly familiar and other’s only in distant memory. He could pick up the qualities of the dirt beneath their feet, the fact that if they wanted to cultivate anything in it it would have to be wheat absently crossing his mind. He picked up the sweat of a few children a ways away from them, engaged in a game of ‘volleyball’. He picked up the steadily rising arousal of his companion, not unexpected from those who had been exposed to the feeling of his majesty. He picked up a strange smell from the boy before him, something entirely…foreign. 

 

There were minute hints of things he’d only found traces of in other substances, but otherwise the smell was entirely new to his senses. It smelled…unlike everything else. It was mingling with the slightly too metallic tang of his blood, singing in his veins. 

 

So he chose it. 

 

He chose to invert the natural order, much like the rest of his children had done before. Apocalypse felt his eyes narrow a shade. The only question on his mind was ‘why’. Why had they betrayed him. Why was the allure of powerlessness so prevalent in this world. “Why do you hide it?” He asked, his voice presenting a slightly harder edge than he’d intended.

 

“Huh?” His hand dropped back to his side, eyebrows rising in a questioning gesture.

 

Hank wasn’t given enough time to question as Apocalypse clarified. “Your power. I can sense that the beast sleeps only because you use…something to make it so.” He finished, not able to find a fitting word for that substance.  “I want to know why.” He reiterated, the question coming out as more of a demand. 

 

“That’s-” He looked around in shock for a second before his eyes hardened slightly. “I keep it under control.” He spoke lowly, as if he didn’t want the attention of those around them. 

 

Apocalypse’s blue skinned head swayed slightly from side to side, once more in a gesture entirely foreign to him. “You do not.” He continued before a rebuttal could be made. “You fear it.” The boy’s eyes widened in obvious shock. The fool. It was obvious to the ancient man that he wasn’t aware enough of his power to subjugate it, though why he’d want to do that he’d never understand. That could only mean, since he was indeed suppressing it somehow, he lived in fear of it. 

 

It was not something Apocalypse had seen for a long time, his efforts having ensured that his children would always be held above the powerless masses he had positioned them to rule. He’d thought he’d stamped it out, the desire to be a simple human.

 

He focused his thoughts back on the present, seeing that a slight resentment, almost hostility was starting to form in his eyes. Stopping him before he could further delay his quest for loyal followers, he raised his other hand, palm facing the boy. He backed away slightly, even further out of his reach. “You want to truly understand your power. To be able to subjugate it without depending on whatever it is you’re using.” He asserted. “I can show you how.”

 

He didn’t move, still eyeing him warily. His companion moved of her own accord, nodding her head slightly at him. “It’s true.” She said, casting a slightly worried sidelong glance at him. “I didn’t trust him at first, but…you can.”

 

He didn’t smile as the man warily straightened again, turning back to him. He chose to speak first, not closing with the hand. “You can make it so I don’t have to rely on the formula? So I can turn it on and off?” He questioned, though he was already edging closer to the duo. 

 

Apocalypse hated what he was about to do. Absolutely hated the fact that he was furthering the line of thinking. He couldn’t stand it…

 

But he knew he had to do it. 

 

If this boy decided to obstruct his mission, depending on the respect offered to him here, it could be a great hinderance to his plans. He couldn’t take that risk. So he told him. “Yes. I can make it so you are truly aware of your power and you are in full control of it.” 

 

The boy nodded once, but it seemed his mind had already been made when his companion had ‘vouched’ for him. 

 

Interesting.

 

He stepped up to the hand, Apocalypse raising it a little higher so he could lay it on the boy’s forehead. 

 

“First I have to burn all of it from your system.” It scuffed his pride to have to indulge his insecurities, but if the child proceeded to panic, then everything up to this point would have been for nothing. The boy nodded, teeth clenching as he braced himself. The armoured man resisted the newfound urge to roll his eyes. He’d mastered this technique thousands of years before this civilisation was even conceived.  _ Of course _ he’d refined it to the point were it was painless.

 

He didn’t tell the tall fool that, though. Petty though he knew it was, he felt himself hoping the man felt stupid about it afterwords. Channeling his power into him, he burned out the toxin, digging into each muscle and every fibre of his being, burning the disgustingly foreign substance out of existence. 

 

The reaction was instant, the man before them rapidly gaining mass. His skin hardened under Apocalypse’s palm. Soft blue hairs sprouted from all over his form, the dark locks crowning his head rapidly lightening until they matched. His clothing began to rip at the seams, the sound of fabric tearing suddenly catching the attention of a number of people around them. 

 

Apocalypse breathed once, expelling the satisfaction he felt at having deduced it all correctly.

 

Of course he had.

 

He focused on the task and took hold of the man’s soul, dismissing the thought of simply snuffing out his existence. He strengthened the core, building up the humanity that this ‘Hank’ so craved. He shifted what he could, aligning it so they were on separate sides of the same soul but each side had an equal grip on it. He did not enhance the senses or refine the body, simply tearing away the mental blocks that had prevented him from truly being aware of the power within him. 

 

It was not  _ his _ .

 

He had denied it. Feared it. He did not deserve it. He deserved nothing less than to be stripped of it. 

 

But Apocalypse had not done that here.

 

He couldn’t have.

 

And that stung his pride more than anything. Having to bow so as not to offend people who pandered to the whims of the powerless. Never had he felt so humiliated. 

 

He abandoned that thought, allowing himself to return to the present. It seemed that a crowd had gathered, and ‘Hank’ was excitedly toying with his beast, alternately releasing and sealing it. He seemed entirely heedless of the fact that his clothes were all torn to rags in his glee. 

 

Through the corner of his eye, he saw his travelling companion. Idly he noted that he should really start to use her name if he did intend to keep her around. He knew it well enough, what with him having reshaped her soul, but he was loathe to start committing names to memory when he wasn’t sure if he’d need to remember them any longer. 

 

She was placating the group that had formed, answering their excited questions in his place. She’d revered his power, telling them about how vast and endless it was. She told them his name was En Sabar Nur, not translating for them the meaning.

 

That was good. 

 

She’d picked up on the need to approach the situation delicately. Her merits were once more starting to outweigh the one mark against her, but he’d wait and see. See how she’d react a little later when she knows more.

 

His chest swelled with a breath. “Children.” He spoke, his calm tone somehow imposing itself over all the chatter. Various sets of eyes turned to him, curiosity clear to see in all of them. Interestingly, there was no resentment over his referring to them as children. 

 

Most likely that was because this  _ was  _ a school and they would be used to such. 

 

He did not bother reintroducing himself. “I have only one reason for visiting your school.” Not that they would ever know. Once again, it ‘rubbed him the wrong way’ to have to use subterfuge and such underhanded tactics, but he steeled himself and continued on. “I am here to fully awaken the power you have within you, to help you reach heights you never dreamed were possible, and to make sure you fully comprehend your…” He felt the phantom sensation of bile rising in his throat. “…gifts.”

 

They tittered excitedly at his words, a light gleaming in their eyes at the thought of what he was saying. After a handful of seconds they’d agreed upon a course of action and an orderly queue had formed before him. They chatted eagerly as they watched the first boy step up, one who’s spirit he could feel was more malleable than most. He saw Hank emerge from studying his hands, glancing about in surprise at the proceedings. He muttered something to himself that Apocalypse heard every word of and eagerly sped off to fetch ‘the professor’. 

 

The blue skinned man didn’t allow his disgust to show on his face. All these children. 

 

All these blind, ignorant children.

 

They had summarily accepted everything he’d said at face value, not once questioning a single thing he said. They didn’t seem to care at all about  _ how _ he did what he did, or even why. Most likely they would simply assume that this ‘professor’, almost certainly ‘Xavier’, had found him and called him here to the school. He could appreciate the fanatical respect for the man, but just as was the case for him, relying on it would be his undoing. 

 

He focused his thoughts on the soul presenting itself to him. It seemed that it had two states. Active and dormant. Both were intrinsically human, one much more so than the other, but the active state had a hardness to it that surpassed even the most dense metals. He reached out and within a few moments, the boy was fully aware of his power. It seemed he could now dictate exactly what he wanted the active state to represent. What material would comprise his form.

 

He didn’t concern himself much more with that, moving onto the next child. Once again, this one, like Hank, had that strange construction of glass and metal that was supposed to aid one’s vision. The television had often referred to them as ‘glasses’, ‘spectacles’, or ‘four eyes’, but Apocalypse had one name that he felt should be added to that list.

 

‘Absurd’.

 

He plucked the offending article off the boy, ignoring his flinch and indignant squeak as he absently let it fall to dust. The students’ wide eyed awe at the feat once more fed the increasingly familiar urge to roll his eyes. Reaching out, he corrected the boy’s vision, absently shattering the mental blocks before sending him off. 

 

The next one to step up was a black haired girl, but his head turned as the most spectacular presence flittered in range of his senses. Scanning the direction he knew her to be in, he could ‘see’ her clearly enough, seated under an immense tree. His eyes focused in on her own and he could see them widen. 

 

Clearly she had thought herself invisible.

 

Interesting. 

 

Idly he wondered how she had done it. By the students he could see in the corner of his eye still searching for her, she was more than invisible to them, but to him he could make out her form clear as the sky over the desert. She was not bending the light around her.

 

Indeed. If she had been he would be able to see the minute particles of the light as she twisted them around herself. 

 

She was not using any number of physical properties to make her presence disappear. On the contrary, she was using a mental technique. “ _ Hey. How can you see me? _ ” She ‘questioned’, his own curiosities being confirmed in return. 

 

Very interesting, indeed.

 

He could feel her using her powers, trying to get into his mind and see why she couldn’t make herself unseen to him, but her probes were weak. 

 

Untrained. 

 

There was nothing she could do against his impregnable defences, especially as she was but a mere child. He felt the phantom tugs of a smile on the corners of his mouth, his brain pulsating at the discovery. “ _ Come, child. Let me show you. _ ” He sent back at her, spirit rising with the mistrust he could still feel rolling off her in waves. She stood but didn’t advance towards them, her gaze drifting to the multitude of other students queued up before him. 

 

She bit her lip, before communicating again. “ _ I can’t. _ ” 

 

He turned back to the students, seeing a lot of them still exceedingly curious about what had stolen his attention for so long. “ _ I understand. _ ” He sent back to her, not wanting to discard the rest of them in case there was someone else who might be worth his time. “ _ Do not worry. _ ” He assured the red headed girl. “ _ I will approach you later and show you everything. _ ”

 

He felt the instinctive mental nod she directed at him before she responded. “… _ Okay. _ ” 

 

That.

 

That  _ right there. _

 

That nod had all but made his day. It, more than anything else, confirmed to him that she didn’t have much in the way of experience with her abilities. 

 

Not where it would count against him at any rate.

 

He felt himself swell slightly as he unlocked the next girl’s power, seeing her skin instantly lose its glittery texture. The desperation to revert to humanity irked him, but he knew, if he handled the situation correctly, he could eradicate it by the turn of the century.

 

The next person to come up didn’t take long to be shuffled along, the claws on their fingers receding along with most of their body hair. 

 

It was the girl who came after that who he took note of. 

 

It was the dark haired mermaid from earlier. She was seated in a wheelchair, a towel hiding most of her tail. “A-afternoon, Sir.” He could hear the easily discernible accent in her words as she spoke lowly. By the way she tried to duck even further beneath her long hair, he deduced that she wasn’t the most outspoken fish in the sea.

 

In his time it had many different names. Cowardice. Spinelessness. Weakness of will. 

 

He could have gone on, but looking into the girl’s dark eyes…he didn’t feel it was necessary. If he were to pick a title for her…

 

…

 

…

 

…it would be one from the ‘twentieth century’. He had thought them far too accommodating, far too tolerant of weakness, far too afraid of the pain in life, forgetting that it built character.

 

…

 

…

 

Shy.

 

Soft spoken.

 

Reserved.

 

Those are some of the words he might choose now that he’d actually met one of these people.

 

“…Afternoon.” He found himself saying back, the reason he was indulging her customs escaping him. He quickly gestured to her tail, using the glittering, blue-green appendage to distract everyone else from the deviation. “Why do you hide it?” He questioned, his voice somehow not quite reaching its usual volume. 

 

Her head shook vehemently, eyes lighting up with emotion. “I’m not hiding it. I love my tail.” The extremity in question seemed to twitch at the admission, the girl’s blood rising to her cheeks. “I just…” She vaguely gestured in the direction of the sky, her eyes no longer meeting his own. “…If I stay in the sun too long I start to fry…”

 

His head dipped once and rose again in a slow imitation of a nod, understanding dawning on him. She wanted to walk. To explore the world, perhaps with a friend or a lover, to sit on the beach, to dance in the rain. He understood. For her, the desire to be more human was…acceptable. 

 

He might even go as far as saying it was warranted. He’d explored the entirety of the seas in his youth, plunging to the darkest depths and beyond. 

 

There wasn’t much of value beneath the surface, not for him and undoubtedly not for this child.

 

He stepped towards her, reaching a single hand out and placing it against her forehead. 

 

He saw her eyes close, a drop of moisture not from her wet hair rolling down one cheek. He reached into her mind, opening it up so she could perceive exactly what he was doing to her spirit. 

 

He separated the two halves of her contrasting soul, using his experience to rewrite what was missing. He manipulated her essence so it wasn’t rigid, locking her in one state, and proceeded to once again rewrite the fabric holding the two halves of her together.

 

He paused when he was finished, not quite sure why exactly until he felt her gobsmacked satisfaction at what he’d done. She projected her utmost gratitude to him, her spirit singing with palpable elation. 

 

He removed his palm from her flesh, rising back to his feet and seeing the skin on her abdomen creeping downwards beneath her towel. The profile beneath it shifted slightly as her legs rose to the surface of her being, her other half sinking back down. The ‘gasoline green’ tail disappeared entirely, leaving the girl as a normal human. 

 

She squealed in glee, tears streaming from her eyes as she sprang from her seat. Her legs, unfamiliar as they were to her, failed to hold her weight. She didn’t make it nearly as far as she had likely intended, falling like a sack of potatoes. 

 

Apocalypse didn’t blink as his arms reached out, body flashing from its position and catching her before her excitement could land her in the dirt. 

 

He raised her back to her feet, the arms draped around him making him think she was entirely unaware of her nakedness. 

 

His head turned to…Storm, and she was watching him, the fallen towel already extended with one too stiff arm.

 

Ahh. Very interesting indeed. 

 

He accepted the offered towel, wrapping it around the girl’s waist in the way that seemed most efficient.

 

She froze as she stopped silently sobbing into his shoulder, her exhalations of thanks stilling in her throat as her state of undress finally registered. 

 

She thanked him once more, backing away on unsteady feet and allowing what could have been a friend to help her away. 

 

The rest of the procedures passed by rather painlessly for the next hour, Apocalypse’s thoughts not focused on many of the students. Other than the few who had caught his attention initially, there had only been a handful others worth mentioning. One childish boy had arrived in a ‘car’, his petulant mood more than clear on his face. Hank had advanced him to the front of the queue for some reason, and once he could ‘turn these goddamn things off’ he had stalked back to one of the other boys and demanded to be taken home.

 

Not long after that, the rest of the students had been called back for their afternoon classes. 

 

Then ‘Xavier’ had finally approached to speak with him.

 

The man had prodded him mentally, much more subtly than the girl, Jean, had managed. His skills were much more refined than the girl’s, years of training with them having sharpened his abilities to a razor’s edge.

 

For all that, they weren’t anywhere near as…potent as Jean’s. Without a doubt, the professor’s powers were more than impressive, but Jean’s were on an entirely different spectrum.

 

He’d taken a good look at Charles’ power while he healed the man’s legs, but he decided that he’d maintain his course and pursue Jean.

 

Speaking of his chosen course, he looked off to his side, seeing Storm gazing sullenly at him. She hadn’t said a word, but her face made it clear she had an inkling about what he was planning. They’d been in ‘his’ room for a scant few minutes.

 

“…” 

 

Whatever words she was looking for, she couldn’t seem to formulate them, her mouth falling open only for her to shut it not long after.

 

“…”

 

She didn’t tear her gaze away from him, keeping her focus on him the entire time she warred within herself. 

 

“…”

 

He wondered why she was now so dedicated, so desperate to stay with him when she could be enrolling herself into the School for the Gifted. When she could return to Cairo. When she could subjugate a city on her own, if she so desired.

 

“…”

 

Neither of them had spoken a word since they’d been assigned a pair of rooms, their improvised lessons having been scheduled for various free slots throughout the rest of the week. 

 

“…I…”

 

…Progress. It was slow, almost pathetically so, but it was undeniably more than she’d been able to manage before. 

 

“…”

 

Idly, another part of him wondered why he was indulging her behaviour. In his previous time, when Fukanya had headed recruitment for a time, she didn’t tolerate anywhere near this amount of…hesitation. Her fuse was shorter than a desert rainstorm. 

 

“…-” She swiftly dropped to a knee, her fist also finding the ground in a familiar declaration of loyalty. Of reverence. “My Lord.” Her earlier glimpse of his spirit had offered an understanding few had ever been honoured with. “I want to stand by your side for as long as I live. I want to serve you with everything I have.”

 

Her long silence seemed to have given her an acceptance of that fact and what it could mean. 

 

Still, it changed nothing. 

 

Her compassion for humans hadn’t yet presented itself as an issue, but it still could. He could not make a horseman of her knowing that. 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Apocalypse phased through the closed door, his hand once more resting on the small of Storm’s back as she walked beside him. 

 

The room was lit dimly by a single reading lamp, and its sole occupant was seated on her bed, apparently waiting for him.

 

“You came.” She said, aloud, scrambling to her feet. 

 

Once again, he felt that phantom smile pulling at his lips as he answered with a nod. “Indeed I did.” 

 

She presented herself to him in equal parts excitement and nervousness, barely a glance dedicated to his companion.

 

“I want to help you understand your power, so you can fully understand and control it.” She nodded eagerly, lips curving into a smile as she offered her forehead impatiently. “I understand your excitement, but I cannot unblock your power the same way I did for the others.”

 

Her eyes snapped back up to his with mute shock glistening in them. 

 

“You see, your ability is a mental one, and if I use the technique I have been, you might be overwhelmed by the new senses and do more harm than good.” Her eyes lit with understanding, her head nodding of its own accord. It was a lie, of course. He was more than capable of suppressing her power while he was modifying her soul, and the awareness he could give her mind would make her entirely incapable of such an error, but she didn’t need to know that.

 

Amusingly enough, it was the very same excuse he had given Xavier. “But…you  _ can  _ help me, right?”

 

“Of course.” He agreed. “There is an older method I used to use before I perfected this one. It is much more time consuming, but since neither of us will be conscious on this plane it minimises the risk of an accident.” She nodded, but before she could question any further, he spoke up. “Firstly, I would like you to experience how your powers will feel when you’ve become fully acclimatised to them.”

 

He reached out his hand as she once more presented her forehead, placing the palm against her skin. He placed himself between her power and everything outside of that, acting as both a barrier and a conduit. He absently boosted her capabilities, more intent on taking his time observing her soul. 

 

Apparently not only was she capable of interacting with other minds, but with the world at large. She had experimented with levitation, creating forces, creating light, among other things.

 

He would enjoy taking over in her stead.

 

But first, he wanted her to enjoy this final experience. He boosted her power significantly, not removing the mental limiters preventing her from fully controlling it.

 

He could feel her fear as she started to sense all the other beings on the planet, but it disappeared entirely when she wasn’t overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. He blocked the majority of the feedback from ever reaching the girl, processing all the information himself. He absorbed the thoughts of millions of different individuals, ones with power and ones without, many different emotions and situations flashing before his mind.

 

Absently he could feel her doing the same, looking in on different people, one at a time. She peered on a banker, contemplating cosmetic surgery. She briefly happened upon a surgeon, enjoying his time with his mistress. She quickly averted her attention, briefly looking in on a waitress cursing the day her current customer had been conceived. 

 

Her thoughts suddenly gained focus as she mentally gasped, focusing in on a single person, the first she’d actively sought out. The girl was a child, like any other, though her spirit was much more…jaded…than most in this world. Jean hadn’t seen as much, restricted as she was to only the girl’s surface thoughts as she escorted one ‘Nightcrawler’, but he had no such limits. 

 

He delved into her past, seeing a life of desperation, of searching, of not even knowing what it was she was searching for.

 

His chest swelled slightly in appreciation of the aid Jean had provided him. If she hadn’t been curious about ‘Raven’ it might have been ages before he discovered this ‘Eric’ and the fact that it was actually possible to negate this new power of his.

 

He would have to deal with that.

 

But first, it was time. He slowly let her powers recede, reducing the empowerment back to what it had once been. 

 

Her eyes fluttered open as he removed his hand, excitement dancing within them. “That was amazing!” She expressed, retaining enough presence of mind to keep her voice somewhat restrained. 

 

Though it wasn’t necessary any longer. He’d modified these walls to be entirely impenetrable to all things, sound or otherwise. They could not be disturbed during this process.

 

She tittered excitedly about what she had seen, rambling at length about the range and precision and the lack of backlash. 

 

He cast his gaze to the rest of the room, a simple gesture reducing all the various artefacts to dust.

 

“Hey!” She squawked indignantly, cutting her rambles short. “I need that stuff.”

 

“And I will return it to you precisely as it was.” He lied smoothly. “We will need the space for that other procedure I spoke of.” She seemed to remember how much power he wielded and acquiesced.

 

“We can do it now?” Her surprise was evident on her face.

 

“Yes.” He directed at her as he rose the two similar platforms. The familiar sight of the intricate carvings stirring something within him. He gestured to one. “It is not so long a process that we would need several days.”

 

She nodded at his words, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet as she climbed onto the dais, shuffling excitedly as she lay on her back. 

 

She didn’t seem to be concerned with whether or not it would hurt, and his journey within her soul had made it obvious she would be willing to endure a great many things to have full control of her abilities.

 

He let his lungs fill themselves slowly, tempering his own eagerness. He let the captive breath out in a slow exhale, sparing a glance to Storm. She was stood by the door, eyes focused on the proceedings before her. 

 

He turned back to the dais, gracefully laying himself down in a practiced motion. He began the process, shutting his eyes as the molten metal ascended through the carved routes. 

 

The process itself went by without issue.

 

Jean, like many others, was not fully able to comprehend her abilities. She couldn’t grasp exactly what it was she could do, let alone how. That meant she wasn’t anywhere near conscious on the spiritual plane, and she was entirely unable to even comprehend what he was doing as he subjugated her spirit, imposing his own over her form.

 

For the child, all she was aware of was sitting on a hill as the sun set along the horizon, dipping beneath an endless expanse of blue ocean before her. She sat on the grass, holding one knee to her chest as she watched with rapt attention as the sun set, the burning ball setting the sky ablaze in a dozen shades of red and orange. 

 

She thought it was beautiful.

 

She watched the sun sink further out of the cloudless sky, appreciating the light dancing across the sky. The fiery reflection of the sun in the dark waters made her smile. 

 

The sun had almost set and she felt a slight chill starting to form in the air, the heat it provided no longer warming her body. The fiery reds and oranges of the sky had darkened, blending with the blues to become a meld of purple and pink. Idly she wished she had worn something warmer as she brought up her other knee, tucking it into her chest and wrapping her arms around both of them.

 

The sun finally dipped beneath the waters, the light show disappearing entirely from the sky.

 

There were no stars.

 

There was no hill.

 

There was no water.

 

There was only darkness.

 

And then Jean simply ceased to exist.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


A warm body lay still upon the altar, as it had for almost half an hour. Apocalypse hadn’t yet bothered to restore his usual appearance, keeping the form of Jean as it had been. He was too busy exploring Jean’s world through the eyes and memories of all its denizens. He sifted through everything she had experienced, reaching into everyone she had ever met, barring the Professor himself. He would get to Xavier eventually, he would just need to focus all his concentration on the man. He took a hold of everything that made up Jean Grey.

 

Everything.

 

Every conversation she’d ever had, every interaction she’d ever shared with another person, every change she’d ever effected on the world,

 

...and he erased it.

 

He twisted each memory in a way that cut the redhead out of existence. He made sure that all the changes he made would correspond in all the minds affected, reaching out to any person that was even peripherally affected by her actions and adjusting them accordingly. She was flushed from the memories of her classmates, of her teachers, of her parents, of the few friends she still had. 

 

And once he had done that, he turned to the one person who could feasibly bring back any of that knowledge. He stilled his thoughts, muting his elation at the success of the transfer and controlling his powers to be as subtle as he could. He didn’t think Charles would be alert enough to pick up on his intrusion while he slept, but he was prepared. 

 

Reaching into the boy’s mind from where he lay, he slipped his consciousness past the barriers and let himself in. Immediately, he falt Charles awaken, panic and sleep clouding his mind for the instant it took him to shut down Xavier’s powers. He breathed a slow exhale, sifting through the surprising boy’s memories to see what he’d been doing to make himself so attuned to changes in the mental scape. 

 

Looking back a handful of years he saw an encounter with that ‘Raven’ girl, that had led to Charles being sensitive enough that someone else’s nightmares could wake him up. 

 

Despite himself, Apocalypse was impressed by how well the man had hidden his alert nature behind his laid bacl facade. He focused back on his task, reaching into the man and adjusting his memories so one Jean Grey wasn’t a part of them any longer. Once that was done, he further addled the mind, yanking out the memory of feeling Apocalypse’s intrusion. The boy briefly tried to fight him, his thoughts straining against...something… but he didn’t manage to lock onto the cause before he was lost to unconsciousness. The man inhabiting the redhead’s body waited a handful of seconds to ensure Charles was truly asleep before re-awakening Xavier’s powers and quickly slipping out before he could wake. He waited another few minutes, holding on and ‘watching’ the brunette through the various materials separating them. He woke briefly, his eyes blinking blearily around his room before he decided to go back to sleep. Apocalypse allowed himself a final breath, satisfaction washing over him as he lay, content to bask in his newest power. The one he now felt he would almost choose above any other.

 

Almost.

 

He did have a number of incredibly useful abilities.

 

He raised himself off the dais, planting his smaller feet on the ground. It seemed he was shorter now as well, he surmised as his eyes found Storm’s.

 

He decided enough was enough and started changing his form, his skin darkening until it reached the familiar hue. His muscles grew in strength until they were once more an inhuman mesh of fibres. His body extended, his height increasing rapidly until he once more towered over the woman. His womanhood dissipated, leaving an unblemished smoothness between his thighs. The clothes Jean had decided to wear crumbled to dust with a thought, his familiar armour levitating and replacing them on his body.

 

When he returned to himself, he glanced at his old form, turning it and the platforms back into the various articles that had been strewn about the child’s room. 

 

He could feel Storm’s reverence for him growing by the second, her soul shining with the brightness of her faith.

 

In him.

 

In his power.

 

He could see that she was wholly aligned to his cause, entirely dedicated to whatever end. 

 

She now saw it as the only eventuality. She had no doubts that he could, and would subjugate the entire planet, and she simply wanted to be by his side when that happened. 

 

Looking into her mind, he noted that before, when they had been together in the room assigned to him, she had been hoping to redirect his ire. To ensure that humans wouldn’t be needlessly oppressed. Now, though, she had resigned herself to his will, knowing she was utterly powerless to even hinder him.

 

He absently made a dismissive gesture, the clothes on her body wordlessly burning away to nothing. 

 

She made an ‘eep’ in surprise at the action, her hands instinctively flying to cover herself before she stilled them.

 

She regained control of her breathing, her arms returning to their places by her sides as she presented herself to him. He could see the slightest arch in her back, her dark breasts subtly pushed out towards him.

 

With less than a thought, the very air materialised around her, forming a tastefully revealing armour of his own design. Her balance shifted and she thrust her arms out to her sides to regain it, righting herself on her new heeled boots as she took in the attire. He could feel her surprise at the gesture, her elation at the promotion, her appreciation of the quality and her slight disappointment at his not taking her.

 

She ran her hands down her form, looking back at him when she was done and offering only a nod, knowing her thanks was more than audible to him.

 

“ _ Be patient, Storm. _ ” He spoke directly into her mind, mostly so she would know why he had transferred himself into this body. He could see the surprise on her face at the new ability, her soul brightening even more. “ _ I will claim your body when the time is right. _ ” He told her, feeling her blood rush to her cheeks as she nodded and averted her eyes.

 

He absently returned the walls to their original state, forming a portal behind him with practiced ease. He turned and she took her place by his side. They stepped into the purple tear, stepping out of it when it deposited them back in his room. His brief stint in Jean’s body had been enough for him to feel her lingering arousal, intense enough to justify indulging in Storm’s fantasy.

 

Their armour vanished in a spark of flame.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  
  


“You yearn to regain what you’ve lost.” Apocalypse’s dry tone carried across the space between them. “Let me help you remember.”

 

The single claw remained extended, pointed threateningly at the blue skinned man. “Memories don’t grow back, pal.” The gruff voice intoned, not for the first time.

 

The armoured man offered a conceding nod as he continued. “Memories in the brain, of course not, but the soul cannot be so easily manipulated.” He didn’t let his face show his amusement at the statement. Souls were as rigid as clay to him.

 

The slight growl budding in his throat paused, a single eyebrow inching upwards ever so slightly. “Souls can record memories now?” He questioned, shooting a sidelong glance to Charles standing by his side.

 

“A soul is the core of a person’s being. Of course, some parts of it are defined even before birth, but a significant portion is formed of their experiences. Not everyday occurrences, but any impactful enough experience will leave its own mark on a soul.” The man intoned, his voice not sounding as if he had a razor sharp claw trained in his direction.

 

“Fascinating.” Hank muttered off to the side, scribbling something in a notepad. He continued to speak under his breath as he compiled his data, his skull slightly larger than normal to accommodate the beastly brain he was ‘borrowing’.

 

Wolverine’s continued distrust of his motives was thoroughly amusing to the blue skinned man, appreciating the change from the rest of the children in this school.

 

Storm was markedly less amused, the tension he could sense in her jaw being well hidden from the others. 

 

“Charles.” He barked slightly, not taking his eyes off Apocalypse. 

 

“Huh?” He looked up from where he’d been peering over Hank’s shoulder, eyes taking in his friend’s still tense posture. “Oh, yes.” He nodded. “Go ahead, Logan. You can trust him.” His legs seemed to agree, raising him slightly onto the balls of his feet for a second. “If it doesn’t work…” He gave a small shrug, eyes drifting back to the scientist’s notes.

 

Logan’s pose didn’t change, the air in the room seeming to still for a handful of seconds.

 

After a silent breath, he let his single claw retract. 

 

Slowly. 

 

Drawing out the sound.

 

Another second passed.

 

Another breath, and then he slowly unwound from his tense position, letting his arms come to rest by his sides. His eyes didn’t shut as the blue skinned man approached, placing a single hand against his forehead.

 

He reached down into the man’s soul, for one so old could not be a mere child, and took hold of the impressions that were not mirrored in his mind. There were many, many scars, the majority of which had not been allowed to heal, but the man’s soul was as tenacious as the beast he took after. He opened up the mind next, allowing the dark eyed man to comprehend what he was doing to his soul as he worked.

 

He stitched the unbound strands back to his brain, reattaching everything without modifying anything at all. His body was in peak physical condition and there was really not much for him to do, not that he wanted to. 

 

He slowly receded his contact, releasing the soul and then pulling back entirely to release the man’s forehead. 

 

The brunette staggered back as the weight of hundreds of years of experiences hit him and he fell to a knee. He breathed a ragged breath.

 

Another.

 

And then he was lost to unconsciousness.

  
  


 

* * *

  
  
  


Apocalypse made his way down the hall, a sizeable berth forming as the students parted to either side. Some offered polite nods, most not bothering with greetings as they would not be returned. Storm walked slightly behind him, off to his right side.

 

Her emotions were well hidden, her ire invisible for all except he.

 

“ _ I don’t understand. _ ” She spoke in her mind, aware that he was listening. The slight heat from the encounter with Logan still remained in her tone as they rounded a corner. “ _ Why are we still here? _ ” She questioned.

 

He allowed her to feel his slight amusement at the situation, not offering a response until they had exited the main door at the end of the hall. “ _ Why have we not moved on to subjugate and remake the world as I said we would? _ ” He rephrased her true question, feeling her mental nod at the statement.

 

The honest truth was…

 

He wasn’t decided on  _ how _ yet.

 

Of course, he could ‘mind control’ everyone on the planet to do as he commands and restructure it that way, but…

 

That just…didn’t quite appeal to him. He was sure it was the most efficient method to reach his goal, and it was almost certainly the method he would have used if he hadn’t been betrayed all those centuries ago, but…

 

Maybe it was something he’d gleamed from the modern day humans as he’d been interacting with them. They all had varying ideas on the legitimacy of any given subject. It had thoroughly amused him to learn that some would only call it a ‘meal’ if it was eaten while seated at a dining table, while others would summarily put everything they ate in that category.

 

They each had their own definitions of the same words, and even further than that, their own limits for what would define it. Success, failure, home, win, every person seemed to have their own set of rules for what was ‘worthy’ to be placed under whichever word, and he hadn’t understood it at first.

 

It had seemed to be arbitrary lines that they drew to content themselves with what would otherwise be mediocrity.

 

It had been quite…interesting to see what sort of things people concerned themselves with in this age, and it made him a mite curious about how it had been all those years ago.

 

Now, though…now he was starting to understand. 

 

He didn’t want his world to hinge on him. For some reason, he had an almost foreign urge to have it sustain itself, even in his absence. He didn’t want his powers to be the lynchpin that held everything together…for some reason.

 

Before, he had never concerned himself with anything other than the most efficient means to achieve his goals, and as soon as he’d found it, he’d executed it without hesitation. Now here he was, unable to proceed to his goal because the most efficient path was also the least interesting. 

 

He led the way out of the building, knowing that their next scheduled session wasn’t for hours to come. They walked in silence, the crunching of the stones under their feet being accompanied by the chatter of the few that were also taking a break. He looked out across the green expanse, seeing the various students chatting to each other about something or other.    
  
When they arrived at their destination, a small stone bench close to the lake, he took a seat and waited for Storm to do the same opposite him. Her eyes were focused intently on his own, clearly hoping he would answer her enquiry. 

 

“How would you do it?” He asked instead, seeing the way her white brows climbed in response. “If you had access to all of my powers, how would you go about it?” He rephrased.

 

She frowned a little as she focused her thoughts, her slightly questioning expression showing that she thought it was a trick question. “Um...I’d just…” Her hand floundered a little as she made a slight gesture to her mind. “...make everyone...do what I want, I guess…?” She tried. 

  
He acknowledged her answer, looking away from her slightly. He didn’t quite know how to put his thoughts across and he could see that his hesitation was shocking the girl badly. “That method simply does not appeal to me any longer.” He informed her. “Initially I would have already carried it out and made my plans come to fruition, but now I find that outcome inadequate.”

 

She looked badly shocked by his announcement and her mind was awhir with thoughts. 

 

“Perhaps I have spent too much time perusing the minds of people of today because I find myself overcome by the desire for my conquest to be legitimate.” He knew it was far out of character for him to share his inner thoughts with anyone, but he also knew how invested the girl had become in his idea and he felt the compunction to reward that faith with something. “We will do it eventually.” He assured. “I have more than enough power that it is simply a matter of time until a pleasing enough method presents itself.”

 

She blinked once and then offered a simple nod, taking the words for what they were. Looking into her mind he could see that she had reclassified him as a human. Apparently indecision was not a trait befitting a god and he’d been cast off of that particular pedestal. The thought amused him, since her faith in his power hadn’t dimmed in the slightest. Turning his eyes to the water, he contemplated the way forward. 

 

He had no plans to leave the school in the near future, his curiosity about a few of the students as well as Logan getting the better of him. Part of him was intensely curious about how they would develop, how they would face whatever lay ahead of them in their lives. 

 

He was keen to see that.

 

He was especially curious about how Bhadra would develop. The girl had taken to walking on her new legs with a childlike excitement that had...warmed his heart. He was sure that was the right description of how he felt when he saw her grinning as she took on whatever activity she came across. 

 

The sound of a bell ringing broke him out of his thoughts and he focused on the main doors, watching for a few minutes before the children started pouring out of them. He didn’t have to use his powers to know where the mermaid was. She’d rushed to talk to him each day about something or other after classes so he didn’t believe he was wrong when he guessed she was just arriving at the empty classroom and finding him absent. 

  
The discovery wouldn’t have her stumped for long, and instead of searching the manor, she’d take a look out of the large window and there she was. His eyes focused on her as she lit up, giving a small wave and not expecting him to return it as she turned on her heel. He could imagine the way she ran down the halls, the powerful muscles of her tail having translated to equally powerful legs. 

 

He found himself surprised when his eyes were drawn to the main doors, not using his power at all to guess at her movement. She’d have made it down the hall and over the railing of the staircase, not bumping into anyone since they’d all filed out for lunch. He felt that phantom smile once again pulling at the corner of his lip as he followed, imagining her reaching the bottom of the stairs and making a break for the other staircase, the one that would take her to the ground floor. He could picture the way her gait would slow, her legs shuffling her along at a brisk walk past Xavier’s office so he wouldn’t lecture her about taking it easy, before she’d thunder down the final staircase. She’d bolt across the short expanse between the stairs and the door and  _ there _ she is. 

 

She emerged from the manor at a run, entirely unaware of Charles’ amused eyes watching from the window of his classroom. She tore across the grass separating them, coming to a skidding stop before the two armoured beings. Her swimming had given her more endurance than most, so her breathing was unaffected as she spoke. “So I was wondering about what you said about exploring the ocean.” She started without preamble. “Did you do it on your own?”

 

He met her eyes, the expression on his face marginally less stony than usual. “I did.” He offered simply. 

 

He could see that she had already guessed as much, but her face lit up regardless. “Well, maybe  _ that’s _ why it was so boring.” She shared. “I always find that it’s a lot more fun to swim with others, even though I really like doing it by myself too.” She confided, but he’d already known as much. 

 

He waited for a moment longer, curious not about what she was thinking, but about why he did not want to peek into her mind to check. “Perhaps.” He allowed. “Did you have something in mind?”

  
Her fair skin darkened further at the question, her eyes refusing to meet his own as she found something of greater interest on the ground. “I was just thinking, maybe we could go together.” She proposed, and the instant before her eyes focused back on his own, they darted to his armoured companion.   
  
Ahh. 

  
He understood. 

 

The child wanted to be alone with him somewhere Storm wouldn’t follow, and because that hadn’t happened as yet she had chosen somewhere Storm  _ couldn’t _ follow. It wasn’t a particularly subtle tactic, judging by the amusement he could feel from the white haired woman, but he wouldn’t deny the child. “It is an idea worth attempting.” He offered, adding a slight nod when her eyes widened. 

 

She grinned and thanked him, her black hair bouncing with the movement. The rest of the break was spent discussing where and when their foray into the ocean would begin.

  
  
  



End file.
